General: Homeland response task force to be ready by fall 02 May 2008 
 
Resent-Date: Sat, 3 May 2008 01:29:26 -0500 (CDT)


Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
02 May 2008 http://www.legitgov.org/ All items are here:

http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news Palfrey rejected suicide in
May 2007 interview --'DC Madam:' 'I'd never want my life to end in
suicide' 01 May 2008 Deborah Jeane Palfrey (aka the 'DC Madam,' who
was found hanged in Tarpon Springs, Florida on Thursday) sat down
in May 2007 for an interview with Carol Joynt, host of the Q&A Cafe
interview series... For Palfrey, one thing was crystal clear during
that interview: She would never end her life by hanging herself.
Joynt brought up the subject of Brandy Britton, a Baltimore prostitute
whom had occasionally worked for Palfrey and whom had hanged herself
in January 2007, only days away from facing prostitution charges.
Palfrey told Joynt in no uncertain terms: "I don't want to be like
her. I don't want to end up like her." [See CLG's 'DC Madam' Phone
Records & Updates.]

General: Homeland response task force to be ready by fall 27 Apr
2008 The Pentagon will have its first specially trained task force
designed to rapidly respond to a [Bush] catastrophic attack against
the United States ready by this fall, a top military commander said
last week. Gen. Victor "Gene"

Renuart, chief of the U.S. Northern Command, said the brigade-sized
unit will consist of military personnel who are trained to help
local authorities respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear
incident. The unit will have between 4,000 and 4,500 people and
come from various bases and specialties across the country. [Bye-bye,
Posse Comitatus. Bush is planning an 'October surprise,' so that
he can declare martial law and extend the GOP dictatorship via
Insane McCain.]

Transition to New President in Wartime Concerns the Military --Mullen
Cites U.S. 'Vulnerability' [The sociopaths in the Bush regime are
trying to mentally prepare us for a *third* coup!] 01 May 2008 The
nation's top military officer warned yesterday that the transition
to a new an American president will mark a "time of vulnerability"
as the United States fights two wars, and he said military leaders
are already actively preparing for the changing of the guard.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Michael G.
Mullen, said the U.S. political transition will be "extraordinarily
challenging,"

particularly as the military is engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan and
faces interference in both countries from Iran.

Lawmakers seek probe of Pentagon public relations program 02 May
2008 Forty-one House members are calling on the Defense Department
inspector general to investigate a public relations effort that
relied on retired military officers to defend the administration's
Iraq war policies. "When the Department of Defense misleads the
American people by having them believe that they are listening to
the views of objective military analysts when in fact these individuals
are simply replaying DoD talking points, the department is clearly
betraying the public trust," the lawmakers wrote in a joint letter
to Defense Department Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter on
Friday.

CIA 'preparing public for Iran war' 01 May 2008 The CIA accuses
Iran of 'facilitating the killing' of US troops in Iraq in what is
seen as another attempt to prepare the public for war. In a Wednesday
lecture at Kansas State University, CIA Director Michael Hayden
claimed that slaying US military forces has become the political
strategy of Iran's highest governmental officials. "It is my opinion,
it is the policy of the Iranian government, approved to highest
level of that government, to facilitate the killing of Americans
in Iraq," maintained Hayden, just a day after the US steamed a
second American aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf. "Just make
sure there's clarity on that," the CIA director continued.

Gates: Expanding US command in Afghanistan is possibility 02 May
2008 The idea of giving the U.S. military more authority in areas
of Afghanistan now under NATO command is "worth taking a look at,"
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday. It was the first time
Gates had indicated he was receptive to the idea, which has not yet
been developed into a formal proposal but is under active discussion
in the Pentagon.

White House Sends Congress $70 Billion War-Funding Bill 02 May 2008
The White House sent lawmakers a $70 billion supplemental funding
bill to cover part of the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
in fiscal year 2009. The lion's share of the Pentagon funds -- $45.1
billion -- would be used to fund combat operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Classified activities account for another $3 billion.

KBR first-quarter profit soars, shares climb 02 May 2008 KBR Inc,
the engineering and construction company, said on Friday its
first-quarter net profit more than tripled, helped by an arbitration
award, income from energy projects and its work terrorism for the
U.S. government in Iraq.

KBR's first quarter exceeds expectations 02 May 2008 A favorable
arbitration award gave a hefty boost to first-quarter income at KBR
Inc. Houston-based KBR on Friday reported net income for the three
months ended March 31 of $93 million, or 58 cents a share, on revenue
of $2.5 billion, compared with net income of $28 million, or 17
cents a share, on revenue of $2 billion in the same quarter last
year.

Chevron Posts $5.17 Billion Profit 02 May 2008 Chevron Corp.'s
first-quarter earnings echoed a theme set earlier this week by other
international oil companies: soaring crude prices are pumping up
profits to astronomical levels.

Chevron reported a 9.6% rise in first-quarter net income as surging
oil prices nearly doubled profits at its fossil fuels production
business. Chevron posted a net income of $5.17 billion, topping
analysts mean estimates by $219 million, despite narrower refining
margins and a tough comparison from a big year-ago gain.

Oil extends gains amid tensions in Iraq 02 May 2008 Oil climbed
midafternoon as traders bought into the market amid optimism that
crude's recent price rally may continue after prices found support
at $110 a barrel yesterday, and after Turkey launched a bombing
raid on northern Iraq.

McCain clarifies remark about oil, Iraq war 02 May 2008 Republican
John McCain was forced to clarify spin his comments Friday suggesting
the Iraq war involved U.S. reliance on foreign oil. At issue was a
comment he made at a town hall-style GOP meeting Friday morning in
Denver. "My friends, I will have an energy policy that we will be
talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the
Middle East that will prevent us from having ever to send our young
men and women into conflict again in the Middle East,"

McCain said.

Turkey bombs 'PKK bases' in Iraq 02 May 2008 Turkish aircraft have
bombed northern Iraq in the latest of a series of air raids in the
region targeting Kurdish fighters. Turkey's General Staff on Friday
said at least 30 planes were involved in the raids on what it called
senior Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in the Qandil
mountains, but made no mention of any casualties.

2 Fort Hood soldiers killed in Iraq 02 May 2008 The Defense Department
said Friday that two Fort Hood soldiers, including an officer, were
killed Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle
in Iraq.

Senate panel bans private contractors in CIA interrogations 01 May
2008 The Senate Intelligence Committee moved on Thursday to ban the
CIA from using private contractors to interrogate prisoners. The
bill would also require the intelligence agencies to give the
International Committee of the Red Cross access to all their
detainees. That would prevent the United States from holding "ghost
detainees" -- anonymous prisoners detained incommunicado and without
records.

Long-held Al Jazeera journalist freed from Guantanamo 01 May 2008
Long-held al Jazeera cameraman Sami al Hajj has been released from
the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, along with at
least two other prisoners, his attorneys said Thursday.

Al-Jazeera cameraman freed from Guantanamo after 6 years 01 May
2008 An Al-Jazeera cameraman [Sami al-Haj] was released from U.S.
custody at Guantanamo Bay and returned home to Sudan early Friday
after six years of imprisonment that drew worldwide protests.

Convention Preparations Prompt Suit by A.C.L.U. 03 May 2008 Groups
planning parades or protests at the Democratic National Convention
filed a lawsuit here on Friday charging that the Secret Service and
the City of Denver are threatening free speech -- not because of
tight security rules, but by the very lack of them. The suit, filed
in Federal District Court, says that delays in establishing legal
parade routes, and unanswered questions about security arrangements
around the convention center, are undermining efforts to plan for
events when Democrats gather here from Aug. 25 to 28.

Longshoreman spark May Day shutdown at many West Coast ports 01 May
2008 Several major U.S. ports along the West Coast were partially
or fully closed for business Thursday, May 1, as part of an organized
protest. The May Day shutdown closed terminals at California ports
in San Diego, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and San Francisco.
Ports in Seattle and Tacoma, WA, also closed.

Bomb Squad Investigating Suspicious Vehicle at Fort Lewis 02 May
2008 The bomb squad is investigating a suspicious vehicle at the
visitor's center of Fort Lewis. The main gate has been evacuated
as well as the visitor's center. The Washington Department of
Transportation has closed the exit ramps from I-5 to the Fort Lewis
main gate in both directions.

Deadline extended for transportation worker secure ID cards 02 May
2008 The Bush regime will delay a post-9/11 program that provides
special identification cards to every worker with access to seaports.
The Sept. 25 deadline to enroll 1.2 million workers with access to
ports into the transportation worker credentialing program will be
extended to April 15, 2009, the Homeland Security Department announced
Friday. The department started the enrollment process in October.

Voting Rights Are Too Important to Leave to the States By Adam Cohen
02 May 2008 It would be hard for Florida to surpass its disastrous
performance in the 2000 election, but give the Sunshine State credit
for trying. Its latest assault on democracy: a law threatening
volunteer groups with crippling fines if they make small mistakes
in registering voters. The law seems clearly aimed at keeping new
voters -- especially minorities and the poor -- off the rolls.

And it is working... Florida is not the only state trying to stop
eligible people from voting... It is chilling to think that state
legislators and election officials would intentionally try to make
it harder for Americans to vote, but they always have -- with poll
taxes, literacy tests and gerrymandering.

The Lurita Doan Story (The New York Times) 02 May 2008 It has been
11 months since investigators found that Lurita Doan, chief of the
General Services Administration, violated the Hatch Acts ban on
politicking on the job, asking her staff how they could "help our
candidates..." Her one undeniable service for taxpayers was in
laying bare the partisan diktat that so deeply scars the Bush
administrations approach to government service. Evidence of such
chicanery extends from regulatory agencies packed with pro-industry
appointees, to the purging of nine United States attorneys responsible
for enforcing justice, not the Republican Partys agenda.

EPA official ousted while fighting Dow 02 May 2008 (Saginaw, MI)
The battle over dioxin contamination in this economically stressed
region had been raging for years when a top Bush administration
official turned up the pressure on Dow Chemical to clean it up. On
Thursday, following months of internal bickering over Mary Gade's
interactions with Dow, the administration forced her to quit as
head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Midwest office,
based in Chicago. Gade told the Tribune she resigned after two aides
to national EPA administrator Stephen Johnson took away her powers
as regional administrator and told her to quit or be fired by June
1.

Auto lobby spends $70 million --Efforts to influence fuel economy
standards largely drive record figure; GM leads industry with $14M.
01 May 2008 The automotive industry spent a record $70.3 million
lobbying Congress in 2007, a figure largely driven by efforts to
influence changes in the fuel economy standards of the nation's
cars and trucks, according to a new report by the Washington-based
Center for Responsive Politics.

Judge: Corps of Engineers can be sued over Katrina flooding 02 May
2008 The Army Corps of Engineers can be held liable for flood damage
caused by a "hurricane highway," a navigation channel that is
believed to have funneled Hurricane Katrina's storm surge into the
city, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Questioner booted for rude language says he's worried by McCain's
temper 01 May 2008 Clive businessman Marty Parrish was escorted
from Sen. John McCain's town hall meeting by Des Moines police and
members of the Secret Service after asking McCain if he had called
his wife Cindy an expletive in 1992. Parrish, an licensed Baptist
minister who holds a master's degree in political science, was
questioned by Secret Service agents before being released. Parrish
asked whether McCain called his wife Cindy a [c*nt], as has been
alleged in the book "The Real McCain."

The True McCain Health Plan: Wealth Transfer From Voters to
Corporations By RJ Eskow 01 May 2008 ...The McCain plan, if enacted,
would result in an enormous transfer of wealth from the general
public to large American businesses. In that sense, it reflects a
lot of what passes for "conservative" ideology nowadays. There is
no underlying belief system, just a mixed bag of policies - some
"pro-big government" and some "anti big-government" - that share
only the ability to enrich the large corporate donors that finance
Republican campaigns. So Republican political platforms are often
little more than ideological smokescreens for policies that benefit
these special interests.

Tiny Guam leaps into White House race 02 May 2008 The spotlight
shines on an oft forgotten part of US territory this weekend when
the tiny, remote Pacific island of Guam gets its chance to help
make history in the US presidential campaign. Guam, which has been
a US territory since 1898, rarely steps into the limelight in US
politics, lying on the other side of the international dateline and
more than a 20-hour plane ride from Washington. But all eyes will
be on Saturday's Democratic caucuses, even though there are only
four party delegates at stake...

Obama intent on running out the clock By Carl P. Leubsdorf 01 May
2008 Barack Obama looks like the quarterback of a football team
intent on running out the clock to preserve its lead in a championship
game. By spurning future debates, he seeks to prevent giving rival
Hillary Clinton a way to change the course of the game. He is playing
it safe to avoid a mistake that could erase the small but firm
margin he built through the first three quarters.

Adored in small towns, Bill Clinton stumps for his wife 02 May 2008
(Apex, NC) People who suggest Bill Clinton might be hurting his
wife's presidential bid more than helping it haven't spent much
time in the small towns where he draws adoring crowds of Democrats
who wish he could serve a third term. Clinton routinely draws adoring
crowds of Democrats who stand attentively to hear his detailed,
rapid-fire case for his wife's election - often after waiting hours
for him to arrive.

Obama May Levy $15 Billion Tax on Oil Company Profit [Awesome!] 01
May 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal
for a windfall profits tax on oil companies could cost $15 billion
a year at last year's profit levels, a campaign adviser said. The
tax would help pay for a $1,000 tax cut for working families, an
expansion of the earned- income tax credit and assistance for people
who can't afford their energy bills.

US plan to protect right whale from shipping blocked by Cheney 02
May 2008 Efforts to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic
right whale from being killed by ships are being blocked by Vice
President [sic] Dick Cheney according to leaked documents. A behind
the scenes struggle is raging between the White House and US
government scientists who want to force ships to slow down near the
calving grounds of the almost extinct right whale. Only 350 of the
whales remain in Atlantic waters off America's eastern seaboard and
they are considered one of the most endangered species on Earth.
[Cheney wears a pacemaker, right? Two words: giant magnet.]

Help Protect Polar Bears 02 May 2008 The Center for Biological
Diversity just won a lawsuit forcing the Bush administration to
finally decide whether to protect the polar bear under the Endangered
Species Act by May 15, 2008 -- with the decision to be effective
immediately. The polar bear, in dire straights due to global warming
and the threat of oil and gas exploration, needs all the support
it can get, and we've written a petition so that you can help us
pressure the administration to make the right choice.

Fire officials brace for scorching summer 02 May 2008 With more
than 1 million acres burned by wildfires across the USA already
this year -- more than double the amount burned by this time in
2007 -- fire officials are preparing for a devastating summer.

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[Previous lead stories:] Police: 'D.C. Madam' Palfrey Hanged Self
in Fla. 01 May 2008 Deborah Jeane Palfrey, convicted last month of
running a high-end prostitution service in Washington, hanged herself
in a shed outside her mother's mobile home in Florida today, officials
said. Authorities were called today to the Sun Valley Estates Mobile
Home Park in Tarpon Springs, Fla., by Blanche Palfrey, who found
her daughter's body hanging by a nylon rope shortly before 11 a.m.,
Tarpon Springs police Capt. Jeffrey P. Young said at a news conference.
He said Deborah Palfrey left at least two suicide notes, but he
declined to discuss their contents.

Iraq's April toll mounts to 1,073 01 May 2008 More than 1,073 Iraqis
were killed across the country in April, most of them slaughtered
in fierce fighting between security forces and Shi'ite fighters.
Iraqi Health Ministry figures showed civilian deaths in April were
the most in eight months.

Iraq has most unsolved journalists' murders-CPJ 30 Apr 2008 Iraq
has the worst record for failing to solve murders of journalists,
a journalism watchdog said on Wednesday. There are 79 cases of
unsolved [Blackwater's] murders of journalists in Iraq and most of
them had been targeted because of their work, not caught in crossfire,
the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in
a report released at the United Nations.

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CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright ) 2008,
Citizens For Legitimate Government . All rights reserved. CLG Founder
and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.